The MSU Campus Newsletter is a monthly electronic publication of the Minnesota State University, Mankato Division of University Advancement. It is intended to inform faculty and staff members about events and achievements at MSU, Mankato. Send items for future newsletters to daniel.benson@mnsu.edu.

Dean of College of Allied Health and Nursing

Kristine Retherford (pictured at right) has been named the new dean of the College of Allied Health and Nursing at Minnesota State University, Mankato, effective Aug. 13.

Retherford’s appointment was announced by Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Scott Olson. Retherford succeeds Kaye Herth, who retired in August 2010. Faculty member Harry Krampf has served as interim dean since then.

Retherford, who graduated magna cum laude from Minnesota State Mankato in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology, has served as chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 2006. She has been a faculty member at UW-Eau Claire since 1980.

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Retherford join us to lead our College of Allied Health and Nursing,” said Olson. “Her experiences in Wisconsin have prepared her well to take Minnesota State Mankato to the next level. As an alumna, she knows Mankato well, and has a great perspective on what we can do and where we can go next.”

In 2010, Retherford received UW-Eau Claire’s Jeff Oliphant Blugold Spirit Award for “enthusiastic participation in supporting the vision and mission of the university, the College of Education and Human Sciences, and the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.”

At UW-Eau Claire, in addition to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate level, Retherford has supervised clinical practicum in the Center for Communication Disorders and served as Director of Clinical Programs in Communication Disorders from 1988 to 1995. Prior to that, she served as Director of Graduate Students in Communication Disorders for three years.

Retherford received master’s and doctorate degrees in communicative disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Prior to starting graduate school, Retherford worked as a public schools speech and language clinician for two years. While in graduate school, she worked as a teaching assistant and research assistant at UW-Madison, taught for one year in a state hospital and also worked as a program consultant at a mental health institute.

Retherford’s major clinical interests are normal language development, developmental language disorders, especially in the preschool population and among autistic children.

Retherford’s scholarly publications include the Guide to Analysis of Language Transcripts (third edition in 2000, and the fourth edition currently being prepared), two other publications that are in development and many others.

Minnesota State Mankato’s College of Allied Health and Nursing includes one school – the School of Nursing; and six academic departments – Dental Hygiene; Family Consumer Science; Health Science; Human Performance; Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services; and Speech, Hearing and Rehabilitation Services. Many of the programs within the College of Allied Health and Nursing are accredited by national and/or state agencies.

Leadership Institute

Applications for the 2012-13 Minnesota State Mankato Leadership Institute are being accepted through Monday, July 2. The primary purpose of the seventh annual leadership institute is to develop our university’s number one resource – our faculty and staff. It is a selective program for faculty and staff who wish to develop leadership skills, grow in their current positions and prepare themselves for their future.

The Leadership Institute is a series of monthly day-long sessions that focus on developing leadership skills. Each session includes a combination of lecture, content, interaction, and reflection.

Participants must commit to attending all sessions, complete required readings and assignments, and participate in discussions/activities. The Leadership Institute will cover key issues such as behavioral styles, ethics, communication, change management, understanding power, conflict management, and more. Faculty from our own academic departments work with the program to ensure quality and integrity of the learning experience.

June 22: Retirement Reception

Please join us to honor and celebrate Verone Nelson’s 48 years of dedicated service to the College of Business and the University. Verone has been with the college since its inception and has worked with eight deans and interim deans. Throughout the years of growth and change, Verone has remained the heart of the college, always kind, welcoming and ready to help all who have crossed her path. A reception for her retirement is Friday, June 22 in the South Ballroom, Centennial Student Union from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. with a program at 2 p.m. All are invited.

June 22-23: Genealogy Conference

Open to anyone interested in researching their family history, the Minnesota State University, Mankato library is pleased to be co-hosting the Minnesota Genealogical Society summer Family History Conference on June 22-23 in Mankato.

The Friday, June 22 reception will be held at the Blue Earth County Historical Society. The Saturday, June 23 conference will be held at Minnesota State Mankato’s Centennial Student Union.

The theme for the Family History Conference is, “South Central Minnesota in the 1860s.” The Friday reception will include a presentation by Susan Hynes on “We Went to the Fort: Winnebago City in 1862.” On Saturday, Stephen Osman, retired senior historian from the Minnesota Historical Society, will be speaking on “Minnesota’s Two Civil Wars: A Primer.”

The early-bird registration fees are $10 (Friday) and $40 (Saturday) and are due by June 15. Registration after June 16 is $15 (Friday) and $45 (Saturday). Lunch is included in the early-bird registration fee.

The event is co-organized by the Minnesota State Mankato library, the Blue Earth County Historical Society, and the Minnesota Genealogical Society.

June 25: Blood Drive

Upward Bound is sponsoring a Red Cross Blood Drive. It will be held Monday, June 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Minnesota State Mankato's Centennial Student Union Ballroom. Appointments can be made by calling 507-389-1211 or you can make an appointment by going online at www.RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code 0175952. Walk-ins will also be welcomed. Please consider donating, as blood supplies are low at this time.

July 10-12: Annual Fund Thank-A-Thon

Faculty, staff, emeriti, Minnesota State Mankato community friends, retirees and students are invited to be a guest volunteer during three dates for the Minnesota State Mankato Annual Fund Thank-a-thon, which will be held from Tuesday, July 10 through Thursday, July 12.

The Thank-a-thon Call Center phones approximately 12,000 donors to the Foundation to thank them for their fiscal year 2012 gift. Prior year’s volunteers included administrators, faculty, staff and students. Time is open from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. and it takes just 5 minutes of Thank-a-thon training. You can sign up for 15 minutes up to 2.5 hours. The location is the Alumni Foundation Center building, room #125.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration to volunteer at the Annual Fund Thank-a-thon. If interested, contact Amber Power at amber.power@mnsu.edu or 389-5951.

July 19: MSW Research Showcase

The fourth annual showcase of graduating Master of Social Work students’ research – Real World Challenges, Social Work Solutions: MSW Research Showcase – will be held Thursday, July 19 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Centennial Student Union 253, 254 and 255. Thirty second-year MSW students will be presenting their research. For more information, contact Nancy Fitzsimons, professor and MSW program director, at 507-389-1287 or nancy.fitzsimons@mnsu.edu.

Online TODAY Magazine

Visit the online TODAY magazine at today.mnsu.edu to keep up-to-date with news, alumni and stories about the people who help make this University great.

The mission of TODAY is to entertain, to inform and to connect the reader to the campus. The print TODAY is mailed twice per year to 95,000 alumni and friends.

TODAY welcomes story ideas supporting this mission.

Content is updated regularly, so check back often!

Mankato/Edina Mail Delivery

Minnesota State Mankato has contracted with Land to Air to provide mail delivery between the Mankato campus and the Edina site Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. The following are important details concerning this new service:
Starting Date: June 18, 2012Service: Monday/Wednesday/Friday weeklyMankato Pickup/Drop-off Location: Mankato Campus Postal Services - 228 Wiecking Center
Mail will be picked up at Mankato between 8:15 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Mail will be dropped off at Mankato at 4 p.m. at Postal Services at 228 Wiecking Center on Monday/Wednesday/FridayEdina Pickup/Drop-off Location: 7700 France – Edina, MN - Suite D - Reception Area. Mail will be picked up and dropped off at Edina between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. - Monday/Wednesday/Friday.Mail Restrictions: This service is put in place for smaller, lighter items that need to be routed between sites on a regular basis. If the item is heavier than 50 pounds and would not fit in a postal tub, it is not appropriate for this service.

Faculty/Staff Notes

Professor Geoff Herbach has been featured on WorldWideLearn.com’s list of the 50 best creative writing professors on Twitter.

Andrew Johnson, professor of literacy instruction in the Department of Special Education, is leading a project called “The Capstone Literacy Center,” an initiative to boost the skills of struggling readers in grades 1-12 in the Mankato community and surrounding areas. The project, which will hold weekly sessions during the summer, began June 11.

Jessica Flatequal, director of Minnesota State Mankato's LGBT Center, and the LGBT Center were prominently featured in a May 31 article in Lavender Magazine. Among the highlights mentioned by the article are the facts that Minnesota State Mankato's LGBT Center is the second-oldest GLBT organization in the nation and that the Minnesota State Mankato campus was voted by The Advocate as one of the top 100 campuses in the nation for GLBT students. The full article is available at the following link: http://www.lavendermagazine.com/our-affairs/out-on-campus/

May Funding Report

Externally Funded Projects:

Anthony Filipovitch (Urban and Regional Studies) “Hear Every Voice: Community Engagement in Transportation Planning” funded by Minnesota Department of Transportation in the amount of $193,183

Marcia Stevens (School of Nursing) “2012 MERC Trust Fund Grant Application” funded by the Minnesota Department of Health in the amount of $99,218.94

Ann Goebel (External Learning) “Hearth-N-Home MJSP – DEED Grant” funded by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development in the amount of $41,221

Shannon Fisher (Water Resources Center) “Minnesota River Board – 319 – NTT” funded by the Minnesota River Board in the amount of $47,399

Robert Pettitt (Human Performance) “Traffic Stop Study” funded by the Force Science Institute in the amount of $4,875

David Engen (Communication Studies) “The Wagon Wheel Project” funded by the Minnesota Historical Society in the amount of $7,000

Student Notes

On April 7-9, 2012, four members of the Minnesota State Mankato speech team traveled to the American Forensic Association – National Individual Events Tournament held at Texas State University, San Marcos. The four students attending included senior Jordan Christiansen (Tracy, Minn.) juniors Skylar Carlson (Tracy, Minn.) and Ryan Zahn (Milwaukee, Wis.) and freshman Cade Shelton (Fairmont, Minn.). Carlson made it to the semifinals (top 12 students) in persuasive speaking.

On April 19-23, 2012, 15 members of the Minnesota State Mankato speech team attended the National Forensic Association National Championship Tournament held at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. The team placed 11th overall out of 75 schools competing in the tournament. Senior communications major Bradford Wakefield (Sioux Falls, S.D.) placed third in after dinner speaking, defeating all but one of 143 individuals competing in the event. Wakefield was also a quarterfinalist in dramatic interpretation, placing in the top 24 of the 195 students entered in the event.

Other students attending who contributed points to the overall sweepstakes placing include senior communication studies major Jordan Christiansen (Tracy, Minn.); junior communication studies major Skylar Carlson (Tracy, Minn.); junior elementary education major Sarah Hess; junior speech/English education major Ryan Zahn (Milwaukee, Wis.); junior political science major Nicole Hudak (Medford, Wis.); junior speech/English education major Lillian Lamoreux (St. James, Minn.); sophomore political science/international affairs major and member of the honors program Maggie Pence (Aberdeen, S.D.); freshman communication studies major Cade Shelton (Fairmont, Minn.); freshman communication studies major Nathan Pasmore (Monmouth, Ill.); freshman art major Megan Nutting (New Ulm, Minn.); freshman speech/English education major Zach Aufenthie (Marshall, Minn.); freshman communication studies major Caitlin Frymet (Carver, Minn.); freshman theatre major Erika Gustafson (Lakefield, Minn.); and freshman communication studies major Sarah Cain (Jackson, Minn.). All students had to qualify in at least three events in order to attend the tournament. This year’s entry of 58 total events is the most the team has brought to the national tournament in over 20 years.

Condolences

Lynn Blumenshein died unexpectedly on May 16, 2012. He was employed at Minnesota State Mankato from May 30, 1989, until his retirement, March 30, 2007. He was an electrician in the physical plant and enjoyed the outdoors, camping and fishing. When his wife, Rose, retired from Minnesota State in 2011, they moved to a home on Lake Beltrami near Bemidji.

Former Professor Ann Nadeau Britton passed away Tuesday, May 15, 2012, following a long illness. Dr. Nadeau Britton joined the faculty in the Music Department in September 1966 and retired at the end of spring semester 1999. She was an accomplished pianist and teacher. The Mankato community was enriched through her musical performances, and she enjoyed sharing her love of music with her many students.

Jean McCarthy, former baseball coach and professor, passed away on May 16, 2012. He taught at Minnesota State from 1961 until his retirement in 1991. In addition to teaching, Dr. McCarthy coached the University baseball team from 1964 through 1976. His teams were conference champions six times and his 1971 team finished 4th in the NCAA national tournament.

Campus Drive Participation Needed!

Brad and Christine Cords and Todd and Kara Pfingsten, the 2012 Campus Drive chairs, would like you to know we’re currently at 35 percent faculty and staff participation with a goal of 40 percent by the end of this month. We need just 80 additional faculty or staff to give to reach our 40% goal. Many gifts combined together have a powerful impact! Won't you consider a gift by June 30 to help our students succeed?

Do you have faculty, staff, student or departmental news for the campus newsletter? Send news items to the Media Relations Office at daniel.benson@mnsu.edu. The newsletter is published every other Wednesday during the academic year (except during scheduled break weeks) and monthly during the summer. The next newsletter will be published July 18; the deadline for that newsletter will be the previous Friday (July 13).

You should also submit your event to the university's official Campus Events Calendar. Go to the events calendar website, click on the self-service "Submit Event" link, and provide the information requested.